1. Technical Field
This invention relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly to an electrical connector having a plurality of non-flexible, non-movable shoulder portions which positively prevent a terminal element inserted therein from being unintentionally pulled out of a rear side of a main body portion of the connector.
2. Discussion
Electrical connectors are used in a wide variety of applications to electrically couple various circuits, wiring harnesses, etc., together. Many such connectors include some form of internal, movable, "beam-type" element which is adapted to abuttingly engage a portion of a terminal element inserted within the connector. Typically the terminal element is inserted from a rear side of the connector body. As it passes adjacent the shoulder portion of the beam-type element the element typically flexes outwardly to allow the terminal element to be inserted completely within the connector, and then latches or otherwise abuttingly engages a portion of the terminal element to help prevent same from being pulled from the rear side of the connector body.
The drawback with the use of beam-type movable latching elements is their propensity to break or flex when a pulling force is exerted on a wire attached to the terminal element being secured by the latching member. Since the beam-type elements are flexible, on occasion they break or may be caused to flex such that the terminal element within the connector may be inadvertently pulled from the connector body. Such instances are highly undesirable, especially in motor vehicle applications where electrical connectors may not always be easily and readily accessible for repair. Such instances where a terminal element is accidentally pulled from the connector body may also necessitate time consuming electrical trouble-shooting in an otherwise complicated wiring system by a qualified technician to isolate the accidentally removed terminal element. Such situations not only represent a serious inconvenience but also may necessitate the entire connector being replaced if some suitable repair cannot be made to a broken beam-type latching element.
Connector designs requiring a flexible, beam-type latching member further are required to be made from material having a high flex modulus. Moreover, the tooling which must be used to make flexible beam-type latching members is very fragile and a generally high maintenance item. Still further, problems are frequently encuntered with filling of material which is to form the flexible member, as well as underfilling and trapped air, all of which can lead to brittleness of the flexible beam-type latching member.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector which even more securely and effectively holds a terminal element therein in response to pulling forces exerted on the terminal element, which might otherwise cause the terminal element to be accidentally withdrawn from the electrical connector.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector which includes a plurality of non-flexible, non-movable shoulder portions for even more securely and effectively securing a terminal element within a bore of a connector such that a pulling force exerted on an electrical conductor coupled to the terminal element, or the terminal element itself, will not cause the terminal element to be pulled from the electrical connector.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector which more positively and effectively secures a terminal element therewithin without any use of traditional leaf beam-type latching members.